Cement News tagged under: Colombia

In a week that has seen LafargeHolcim announcing the start of construction of a new 0.5Mta cement plant in Buga and Cementos Argos reporting a significant fall in profits for 3Q16 ICR looks at the road ahead for the Latin American country. Some six months ago Colombia’s cement industry appeared to have nothing but a sparkling future and recent news that LafargeHolcim is investing in a new US$30m production in Valle del Cauca seemed to support this view. However, recent months have seen ...

In a trading update for the third quarter of 2016, Cementos Argos announced that its profits were down by 22.7 per cent YoY, with cement volumes falling by 7.4 per cent to 3.557Mt.
Figures for the nine months to the end of September 2016 were more positive, with the company’s net income rising by 18.7 per cent YoY to COP393bn (US$125m).
The third-quarter figures were negatively impacted by a slowdown in the company’s home market. Cement dispatches in Colombia fell by 22.1 per cent in 3...

Holcim Colombia has announced it will begin the construction of a new cement plant in Buga, Valle del Cauca, Colombia. The new plant will have a capacity of 0.5Mta and represents an investment of US$30m. It is expected to employ 200 people during its construction phase with a further 180 direct and indirect jobs in transport logistics between Buenaventura and Buga. “I would like to emphasise that following the merger of LafargeHolcim [the plant] is the first investment the company...

Cementos Molins' joint venture with Colombia's Corona construction group, EcoCementos, will produce cement in one of the new free trade zones announced by the country's government.
The new works, which is expected to have a clinker capacity of 3000tpd and a cement capacity of 1.35Mta, will be located in Sonsón, Antioquia, Colombia. It represents a joint investment of US$370m and is expected to be operational by mid-2018. Colombia is launching four new free trade zones, authorised by ...

Colombia’s cement producers, including Cementos Argos, will be awaiting the fallout from the country’s ‘no’ vote on October 2. Following four years of planning the Colombian government signed a peace agreement with the rebel group Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) in June this year, putting the deal to the public vote via a referendum earlier this month. A surprise ‘no’ vote (winning with 50.25 per cent of the votes), believed to be due to the deal being too lenient on the r...

Cemex Latam Holdings has made senior level organisational changes at both CLH and Cemex Colombia. The following changes have been made and are effective immediately:
Juan Pablo San Agustin: appointed chairman of the Board of Directors of CLH, will remain executive vice President of Strategic Planning and New Business Development of Cemex and is a member of Cemex’s executive committee.
Jaime Muguiro Domínguez: confirmed as CEO of CLH, will remain President of Cemex South, Central Am...

Colombia saw its cement market contract by 19.7 per cent YoY in July to 924,900t, according to the latest figures by Dane, the country’s statistics office.
A round 68.2 per cent of this total was delivered as bagged cement and 31.8 per cent in bulk. Nearly 75 per cent of bulk cement was supplied to ready-mix companies and a further 17 per cent to construction companies and contractors. Domestic production contracted by 17.6 per cent to 915,200t in July when compared with the same mont...

Cemex expects to bring its new cement plant in Maceo, Antioquia, Colombia online at the end of this year, according to Carlos Jacks, president of the Mexico-based cement producer. The new works will have a capacity of 1Mta and represents an investment of US$360m. The project also includes the construction of a 40km-long concrete access road which connects the works to the motorway system.

The Board of Cementos Argos has approved the sale of 20 per cent of shares of Argos Panama for the sum of US$126m. Buyer is the Grupo Provivienda, controlled by Federico Salazar, a Colombian-Panamanian investor. The company is part of the Grupo Cusecar, which has 22 years of experience in the construction sector in Panama and Central America. The sale is part of Cementos Argos’ plan to raise funds for the financing of the Martinsburg plant in the US by a divestment of US$350m.

One of Colombia’s most recent additions to its cement production base, Cementos San Marcos, has ordered its second Loesche mill for its plant located in Yumbo, some 20km north of Cali. The mill of choice is the Loesche mill Type LM 35.2+2, a sole VRM to be used for coal grinding at the cement plant. The classifier and plant ducting equipment will be included in the contract.
The location of Cementos San Marcos’ works allows the company to benefit from a closer connection to regional build...